Burning Desire
by Starfire Tamaran
Summary: Taryn Armstrong is Will's cousin, taken in at a young age by the Commander and Jetstream after her parents tried to destroy the city. On her first day at Sky High, she catches the eye of a certain bad boy in stripes. What happens when she eventually finds herself wanting him as well? Will she succeed in becoming a hero? Or will she lose herself and join the dark side?
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: What's up Sky High fans? So, as you can see, Sky High is one of my favorite superhero movies. I've been brainstorming this idea for quite a while now and I finally decided to give it a shot. Enjoy and please review! :D**_

* * *

"Rise and shine sleepyhead!" came the cheery voice of my Aunt Josie as she entered my room.

"Meh, just five more minutes, Aunt Josie," I grumbled, pulling the blanket over my head.

She pulled the blanket off me and shook her head, "No can do, Taryn. It's your first day and I'm sure you don't want to be late, right?"

Letting out a defeated sigh, I sat up and rubbed my eyes, "What time is the bus coming again?"

She smiled and kissed my forehead, "It should be here in the next half hour, so you better get going. There's breakfast downstairs already," with that, she got up and left my room.

My name is Taryn Armstrong, and yes, I am related to the Strongholds. Why was I living with them instead of my own parents you ask? Well, let me give you the backstory. My parents were actually very nice people at one point. Then, not long after I turned eleven, they decided to become two of the world's deadliest supervillains for reasons unbeknownst to me. My father was known as Cosmos, he got the name because he had the ability manipulate cosmic fire. My mother, on the other hand, was known as Psychokinetica, able to manipulate objects with her mind.

Sure enough, the Commander and Jetstream had my parents put in jail for life and told me that I probably wouldn't get to visit them. After that, I couldn't help but wonder whose powers I would get, my mom's or my dad's? My question was answered about a year later. Will and I were having a stupid argument over the TV remote. I got so mad that I ended up releasing a cosmic fire blast from my hand and almost launched him through the wall. I was lucky that Will had quick reflexes at the time or else he most likely would've wound up in the ER. However, the last thing Aunt Josie and Uncle Steve wanted was for me to be like my father so they took it upon themselves to train me so that I could control my powers. Needless to say, I was very glad for that. Now, at sixteen, I was starting my first year at Sky High as a sophomore.

Once I was satisfied with my appearance, I headed downstairs and walked into the kitchen. I grabbed a piece of bacon off the plate on the counter and took a bite of it. Turning my head, I saw Will and Layla watching the Commander and Jetstream defeat a giant robot on the news. As superheroes, defeating villains nonstop was all in a day's work for them.

"They are good," Will remarked, turning the TV off. I couldn't help but feel sorry for him; his parents had such high expectations for him and he hadn't even told them the bad news. I was the only one who knew that he hadn't received his powers yet.

After leaving the house and headed towards the bus-stop, waving at the neighbors as we walked by.

"Now I know it's just our first day, but I can't wait to graduate and start saving mankind. And womankind. And animalkind," Layla beamed.

"Let's not forget about the rain forest," I quipped.

"Of course!" she nodded in agreement, "I just feel really good about this year."

"Yeah, should be great," Will muttered as we arrived at the bus-stop. It wasn't long before the bus pulled up. The doors opened and Will walked up the steps first, followed by myself and Layla.

"Is this the bus to Sky High?" Will asked hopefully, causing everyone on the bus to look at him incredulously.

"SHH! Are you crazy?!" the bus driver snapped, immediately closing the doors behind us, "I guess want every supervillain in the neighborhood to know we're here!"

"No, I'm sorry," Will muttered, apologetically.

The bus drive gave Will a skeptical look, "What's your name, freshman?"

"Um, Will Stronghold," Will replied. Oh boy, here we go….

The bus driver gulped, his eyes widening like a little kid on Christmas. He quickly got up from his seat and faced the bus, "Hey everyone! This is Will Stronghold! Son of the Commander and Jetstream!"

Then he eagerly shook Will's hand and introduced himself as Ron Wilson-Bus Driver. Now I was really hoping he wouldn't know who I was as well. That wish was quickly tossed out the window once he looked at me.

"Y-you're the daughter of Cosmos and Psychokinetica!" he gasped, immediately dropping Will's hand to grab my own, "I-If there's anything I can do to make your journey more c-comfortable please l-let me know," he said nervously, obviously thinking that I was just as insane as my parents.

"Um, thanks. For the record, I'm nothing like my parents and I don't intend to be," I replied, giving him a reassuring smile as I pulled my hand away.

Ron just nodded and turned to the two kids in the front row. A black kid clad in orange and a girl dressed in purple and black.

"You two, up. The seat behind Ron Wilson belongs to Will Stronghold and Taryn Armstrong," he ordered.

The kid in orange got up immediately and smiled at us, "It would be an honor. I'm Ethan, by the way," he said before looking at the girl sitting next to him, "Magenta get up."

She rolled her eyes, "Fine, I can't believe I have to give up my seat for Stronghold and his girlfriend."

I shook my head and laughed a bit, "I'm his cousin, not his girlfriend. That's his girlfriend," I pointed to Layla, who immediately elbowed me in the stomach.

I rolled my eyes as her and Will tried to explain that they were 'just friends.' Please, it didn't take a rocket scientist to know that Layla had the worst crush in the world on Will. Sadly, he still had yet to realize it.

After insisting that Ethan and Magenta should keep their seats up front, I moved to the back of the bus and sat down. We had only been driving for about five minutes before jerking to a stop, which sent all of us flying forward in our seats. After the kid got on the bus, Ron closed the doors and looked at us, "Next stop, Sky High!"

The bus started moving again and I sighed in relief and leaned back in my seat. Next thing I knew, he pulled a lever and seat belts flew out of our seats and strapped us in. What the fuck is going on?!

The bus sped forward, driving off the bridge and right into the air. The entire bus screamed, myself included, as we began to plummet to our deaths. To our surprise, the bus suddenly grew wings and started to fly upwards.

* * *

Within minutes, we were hovering over what appeared to be Sky High. It looked like any other high school, minus the fact that it was floating about a thousand feet in the air of course. Ron started making a speech about the school being in constant motion and something about 'anti-gravitational propulsion,' but I was too mesmerized by the school's view to care.

Ron slowly lowered the bus to the ground, which ended up shaking due to a rough landing.

"Sorry!" he called, obviously trying to make up for the not-so 'smooth and easy' landing.

Grabbing my bag, I walked towards the front and followed Will and Layla off the bus. Before we got off, Ron told Will and me that the bus was always there for us if we were ever late and gave us each a business card with his name and number on it. I tucked the card away in my bag and Will tucked his in his wallet.

We walked up the pathway to the steps of the school, taking the time to observe our surroundings. A couple of guys were using their heat vision to zap a girl in the ass, who instantly spun around and froze them solid. Then we passed by the cheerleading team… which turned out to be one girl who had the ability to replicate herself.

_This is gonna be an interesting year _I thought as we continued to walk towards the school. Then, out of nowhere, I found myself being pressed up against Will and Layla. Our whole group was getting tighter as an unknown blurry figure began to circle around us, trapping us in a vortex.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: **__Hello my fellow readers! I just want to say thanks to everyone that favorited and followed my story so far. It really makes me happy that you all are enjoying it. I also want to give a big thanks to __**MusicLovingPunkAnimeGirl, Yugioh13, FishShips, and Flowerchild23 **__for all of your amazing reviews! You guys rock! One last thing I want to mention is that I am open to more suggestions & feedback. So, by all means, feel free to leave me some. I really want to know what you guys think of Taryn, her power, things you'd like to see happen between her and Lash, etc. _

* * *

All of a sudden, the blurry figure skidded to a stop. The mystery person turned out to be a slightly overweight guy in a black and white track jacket and a black baseball cap.

"Hey freshman!" he yelled, "Your attention please!"

Another guy stretched down the steps and appeared at his side. He was a lot taller and leaner than his friend. He had long side swept brown hair and was clad in an orange t-shirt with a black skull in the center and a long sleeved shirt with black stripes long the sleeves underneath. He was very attractive to say the least, but he also seemed like a complete douchebag.

"I'm Lash, this is Speed," he said, tapping his friend on the shoulder, "And as representatives of the Sky High welcoming committee…."

"…. We'd be happy to collect that fifteen dollar new student fee," Speed finished as Lash stretched his arm out to Ethan.

"Um, there was nothing about a new student fee in the handbook," Ethan said, narrowing his eyes in confusion.

"That's because it's complete bullshit," I retorted, folding my arms. Lash turned his attention to me, the edges of his mouth curling into a smirk upon doing so.

"Okay guys, very funny. I'll take over from here." I turned my head to see a girl dressed all in pink. She looked like the brunette version Barbie; all she was missing was a pink Corvette. She was very... preppy. Her hair was perfect and her clothes were spic and span. There was something…. off about her, but I just couldn't put my finger on it. She was way too nice and I'd seen enough horror movies to know that only serial killers were that nice.

To make matters worse, Will was practically drooling over her like she was a supermodel on the cover of Sports Illustrated. Never in my life did I have the urge to smack him upside the head for being so stupid, until now.

She introduced herself as Gwen Grayson and started to give us a speech about her experience at Sky High but I paid no attention to it. Then she started to lead us up towards the school. I felt someone tap my shoulder and I turned around to see Lash standing right next to Speed with that smirk still plastered on his face. He mouthed 'call me' and made a pretend phone with his hand. Rolling my eyes, I held up my hand and gave him the finger. Unfortunately for me, this only caused his smirk to widen and he mouthed back 'when and where?'

Shaking my head, I turned around and headed into the school. Gwen led us all into the gym and then left after wishing us a good year. Then, a bright white orb flew over our heads and landed right behind a podium on the stage up front. It transformed into a woman wearing a white suit and a welcoming smile.

"Good morning! I am Principal Powers. On behalf of the faculty and staff, welcome to Sky High-"

"Yeah!" I looked over my shoulder to see a tall kid with bleach blonde hair in neon colored clothes clapping his hands enthusiastically.

Principal Powers gave him a stern look before continuing, "In a few moments, you will go through Power Placement and your own heroic journey will begin."

"Power Placement?" Will questioned.

"What the hell's that?" I asked, raising a brow.

"Sounds fascist," Layla remarked.

"Power Placement: it's how they decide where you go," Ethan explained.

"The Hero track or the Loser track?" Magenta quipped, sounding unenthused.

"The Loser track?" the neon kid asked worriedly.

"I believe the preferred term is Hero Support," Ethan corrected, trying to sound positive.

"For now, good deeds and good luck. Let the adventure begin. Comets away!" Principal Powers said before morphing back into a white orb and flew out of the room.

We all turned around to see a platform rising above the floor, with a man in short shorts and a track jacket standing on it.

"Alright, listen up! My name is Coach Boomer; you may know me as Sonic Boom. You may not. Here's how Power Placement is gonna work. You will step up here and show me your power. And yes, you will do so in front of the entire class. I will then determine where you will be assigned. Hero or sidekick. Now, every year there are a few students or as I like to call them 'whiner babies,' who see fit to question and to complain about their placement. So, let's get one thing straight, my word is law. My judgment is final. So, there will be no whiner babies. Are we clear?"

A few people nodded and others muttered 'yes' under their breath. Some were too intimidated to respond. But, of course, that didn't satisfy Coach Boomer.

"I said…. ARE WE CLEAR!" he shouted, his booming voice was loud and thick enough to blow a big gust of wind right in our faces.

"Yes, Coach Boomer!" Everyone shouted in unison.

He nodded appreciatively as a ladder shot out of the side of the stage and onto the floor. Then he looked among the crowd to get started.

"You. What's your name?" he asked, looking right at the ginger kid who'd hit on Layla on the bus.

"L-Larry," he stuttered, nervously shifting back and forth on his feet.

"Little Larry," Coach Boomer taunted, "Get up here."

"What's humiliating him going to prove? This is so unfair," Layla huffed as Larry gulped and slowly made his way onto the platform.

"So much for surviving the first day of school," I mumbled, running a hand through my hair.

"If life were to suddenly 'get fair,' I doubt it would happen in High School," Will said.

We all watched as Larry pocked his glasses and let out a barbaric yell, instantly transforming into a buff rock-shaped giant.

"Car!" Boomer shouted, pressing a button on a small device. An old race car dropped from the ceiling but Larry easily caught it in time and hoisted it up over his shoulders.

Boomer looked impressed. "Big Larry. Hero!"

After him, the kid in the neon yellow confidently made his way onto the platform.

"Did I say you were next?" Boomer asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Names Zach, Coach Boomer. Try not to drop your clipboard," Zach said, rolling his shoulders around a couple times before clapping his hands together and standing still.

"Any day now superstar," Boomer said, impatiently.

"I'm doing it!"

"Doing what exactly?"

"I'm glowing!" Zach exclaimed.

"I don't think so," Boomer said, shaking his head.

"Well, it's easier to see in a dark room. Maybe we could turn off these lights or you could cup your hands around your eyes and look real close-"

"Sidekick," Boomer stated, cutting Zach off.

"Um, are you sure you wanna-"Zach started.

"SIDEKICK!" Boomer yelled, using his voice to send Zach flying across the room and onto the floor.

Boomer began to pick more students to go up onto the platform to demonstrate their powers. Ethan got up there and melted into a big pile of orange goop, earning him the nickname Popsicle from Boomer. After that, there was a boy with six arms, an acid spitter, and a couple shape-shifters. Then Magenta stepped onto the platform and shape-shifted… into guinea pig. Boomer was unimpressed, at least hoping for a swarm of guinea pigs and ended up assigning her as a sidekick.

"You, flower child." He pointed to Layla. "Let's go."

"I-I believe in using my powers when the situation demands it," she replied curtly.

"Just do it, Layla," I mumbled.

"Well, you're in luck. This is the situation, and I'm demanding it."

"But to participate in this test would be to support a flawed system," Layla argued, "I think the whole hero / sidekick dichotomy only serves to-"

"Let me get this straight," Boomer interrupted, "Are you refusing to show me your powers?"

"It's more complicated than that, I mean-"

"SIDEKICK!" he shouted, cutting her off.

Then he turned his attention to me, "Alright tomato, front and center."

I rolled my eyes and took a deep breath as I walked onto the platform.

"What's your name?" Boomer barked, glancing at his clipboard.

"Taryn Armstrong."

"What's your power?"

"I can manipulate cosmic flames."

He looked at me for a second before shouting out, "Car!"

My reflexes kicked in as I instantly dropped to the floor, landing right on my back as the car fell down on top of me. Thankfully, I was unharmed and rolled out from underneath the car. Slowly, I got to my feet and raised both of my hands in front of my car, making it my primary target for demonstration. Within seconds, bright yellow-orange flames shot out of my hands, instantly engulfing the car. My hands tingled slightly as I tried to contain the cosmic flames in my palms. Once I felt satisfied with my demonstration, I lowered my hands and looked at the students, most of their mouths hung wide open after seeing my little performance. Layla and Will gave me a thumbs-up which gave me some hope.

Boomer looked impressed as well, "Cosmic Fire girl... Hero!" I shrugged and got off the stage as the bell rang.

"Alright, we'll pick it up after lunch, staring with you," he pointed at Will, who looked beyond terrified.

* * *

After grabbing our lunches, we looked around for an empty table. We eventually found one right next to the windows. I sat down next to Layla and shoved a couple fries in my mouth.

"Okay, am I going crazy or is that guy really looking at me?" Will asked in a hushed voice, glancing over his shoulder.

We all looked forward to see who he was referring to, and I could definitely see why Will was scared. Behind us sat a grungy, leather-clad dude. He had long dark hair with a single red streak in it that hung loosely around his intimidating face.

"Dude, that's Warren Peace," Zach said, shaking his head.

"That's Warren Peace? Layla asked in disbelief. Zach nodded. "Oh I've heard about him, his mom's a superhero and his dad's a villain. Barron Battle," Layla explained to Will.

"So where do I come in?" he asked.

"Your dad arrested his dad," Ethan interjected.

"Quadruple life sentence," I piped up.

"No chance of parole until after his third life," Magenta added.

"That's great, it's my first day of Sky High and I already have an archenemy," Will said sarcastically, "Is he still looking?"

Layla and I looked around him, "No."

Will peered over his shoulder just to make sure. Unfortunately for him, Warren Peace was still looking.

"I thought you said he wasn't looking?" Will said irritably.

"Well, I'm gonna go put my stuff away and take a look around. I'll catch you guys later," I stated, getting up and slinging my backpack over my shoulder.

* * *

I walked down the vacant hallway, taking the time to look at all of the lockers and the glass ceiling. As I turned the corner, I opened my locker and threw my backpack inside. Taking my crimson red lip gloss out of the front pocket, I unscrewed the cap and slid the wand across my top and bottom lip.

"So, why haven't you called me? That's a nice color on you, by the way," I heard a smug voice say beside me. I rolled my eyes as I closed my locker to see Mr. Cocky himself.

"Do you not know the meaning of fuck off?" I growled, only to have him chuckle.

"Yeah, but I'd rather fuck on," he replied cheekily and wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me into him, "How 'bout it, babe? Wanna hang with me this year? I know we'd have a lot of fun togethe-OWW!" he yelled out in pain, releasing me as he shook his now slightly burned hand.

"Let that be a lesson to you, Lash. If you fuck with me, you're gonna regret it," I warned, grabbing him by the collar and yanking him down to me.

"Feisty, I like it."

"Go to hell."

"Only if you come with me, babe."

Letting out frustrated scream, I let go of him and stormed off down the hall with my middle finger high in the air. This asshole was going to be the death of me. That or I'd end up in the nut house for trying to throw him off the school.

"See you around, girl on fire!"

_Fuck my life._


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: **__Hello readers! Sorry for the delay, I had to have the hard-drive on my laptop fixed and unfortunately, all of my pictures and documents got deleted. The good news is that all of the chapters for my fics (plus my edits/pictures) are still saved on my account so I'm really glad I didn't lose those. Once again, I want to thank everyone that reviewed, favorite and followed this story. I really appreciate all of the continued support!_

_**Yugioh13 – **__ Yeah, Lash is gonna continue to pursue her no matter how many times she tells him to fuck off or burns him XD Thanks! She wears a lot of pink and is extremely preppy, which automatically reminds me of Barbie lol. __**VixenOfMeiraz – **__Oh no, you're not rambling at all. I like that you've taken the time to give me some feedback. Don't worry, I'll try and work on that. I'm still planning out & coming up with ideas for Taryn as a character along with her relationship with Lash but hopefully it'll all work out. Thanks again for reviewing! __**lillypad432 – **__Thank you! :D __**Flowerchild23 – **__Oh, you can count on it. He's not gonna give up on her. The thing about Lash is that he's very persistent. When he sees something that he wants, he goes after it. And you can guess what that certain thing is XD __**FishShips – **__Thanks, I've been watching parts of the movie and studying the characters so I think I'll be able to keep them in character and believable at all times. Yeah, that's most likely gonna Lash's nickname for her along with calling her 'Armstrong,' but I hope that won't stop you from reading. If you have any other suggestions please let me know. :D_

* * *

So, nothing out of the ordinary really happened the rest of the day. Well, other than Boomer finding out that Will didn't have any powers and wasted no time appointing him to Sidekick. This left him depressed the rest of the day. I didn't blame him though, now he had to tell his parents that he was a sidekick. If my parents weren't in solitary and if I had been put as a sidekick, well…. I probably would've ended up in the morgue along with Boomer.

Not wanting to think about it any longer, I stepped onto the bus and made my way towards the back. I took my iPod out of my bag and scrolled down until I found my song of choice. I smirked and closed my eyes as _U +Ur Hand_ by Pink blared through the speakers.

Then, my little moment of relaxation was interrupted when I felt something wrap around my waist… several times. I groaned, already knowing who the very hot but extremely annoying perp was.

"Oh, God," I mumbled bitterly, opening my eyes to look at him.

"I think you mean 'Oh Lash,'" he said smugly, putting emphasis on the 'Oh' and making it sound like a desperate moan.

"I'm about five seconds away from throwing you out of the window to your death," I snapped before turning my head towards the window.

He snorted, "Really, Armstrong? You're like, what? 4'10? 4'11?"

I glared at him for a moment before slamming my fist fight into his crotch, "For your information, I'm 5'4, asswipe."

He yelped out in pain and squeezed his eyes shut for a minute before opening them again glaring at me, "What the fuck was that for?!"

"For being a dick, as usual," I retorted.

"Please, I bet if I asked you right now, you wouldn't hesitate to fuck," he stated, leaning towards me until his face was just centimeters away from mine.

I rolled my eyes, "Oh, yes, Lash! I can hardly resist jumping on you and letting you fuck me like there's no tomorrow!"

"I knew you couldn't resist me. So, when and where, girl on fire?"

Luckily, it wasn't long before the bus arrived at the stop and I wasted no time in gathering my things and walking off as fast as possible. But, of course, Lash managed to catch up to me within seconds.

"Stop following me, Lash," I snarled, picking up the pace in an attempt to get away from him. Using his stretchiness to his advantage, he slid an arm around my waist and gave me a cheeky grin.

"Now what kind of a gentleman would I be if I didn't walk a beautiful lady home?" he smirked.

Since I wasn't about to risk freaking out the neighborhood by sending Lash through one of the houses, the only thing I could do was try and pry his fingers away, but he only tightened his grip on me.

I gritted my teeth in annoyance, "Lash, you're the furthest thing from a gentleman. You're many things, but a gentleman isn't one of them. You are the most arrogant, cocky, immature, insufferable-"

"You done yet?" he inquired, unfazed.

Turning my head, I noticed that we had arrived at my house, which instantly caused my eyes to widen. I knew I would never hear the end of it if Will, or God forbid, Aunt Josie and Uncle Steve saw me with Lash.

"We're here, so can you take your claws off me now, Stretch?" I huffed, wiggling in his grip.

"Fine," he said reluctantly before releasing me. Then, he brought my hand to his lips and tenderly kissed my knuckles, "See you tomorrow, milady."

I felt my face heat up as he walked away and quickly shook my head in an attempt to snap myself out of the daze I was in. I scampered up the pathway to the house, trying to push all thoughts of Lash out of my mind. Taking a deep breath, I gripped the doorknob and turned it. I was unprepared to face the music if Aunt Josie and Uncle Steve had seen me with him.

I opened the door to see Uncle Steve looking at me with his arms folded and a stern look on his face. Dammit!

"Taryn, who was that boy you were talking to?" he asked, raising a brow.

"N-no one, just some jerk from school that decided to follow me home," I replied, my face reddening with embarrassment.

"Well, he looked like bad news. You need to watch out for boys like that, Taryn. Not everyone at Sky High is a saint," Steve said as he headed to the door of the sanctum, "Alright, I need to talk to Will."

I sighed and sat down at the table. I knew that Uncle Steve meant well and was just looking out for me, but I wish he wasn't so… overprotective. I guess he was just trying to be a better guardian to me than my own father was.

"So, who was that boy, anyway?" Aunt Josie said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Like I said, he's a huge pain in the ass," I mumbled.

"Come on, you can tell me," she said, setting more plates and silverware on the table.

"I'd rather not."

"Alright, alright," she shrugged, "Well, looks like dinner's done. Could you go get your uncle and Will for me?"

"Sure," I nodded, rising from my seat and heading towards the sanctum.

* * *

During dinner, Will looked even more depressed than before. Mostly because Steve showed him the sanctum, and since he assumed Will was already a Hero and had superpowers, he made it clear that he wanted him to be part of the Stronghold Three. I still wasn't sure if they wanted me to join them as well or go my own way as a Hero. Only time would tell.

I walked in Will's room to find that he was sitting on the roof talking to Layla. I made my way over to the window and crawled through it onto the roof.

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything," I teased, moving over to sit next to a still dejected-looking Will.

"Hey, Taryn," Layla greeted me with her usual cheerful smile. Will just gave me a small smile before letting out a sigh.

"Anything I can do to help?" I asked, although deep down I already knew the answer.

Will shook his head. "Not really, but thanks anyway."

"Will, you have to tell them," Layla stated.

"My parents are the greatest superheroes on the planet. Everybody expects greatness from me," he said, sadly.

At that point, I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around him, pulling him in for a much needed hug, "Trust me, you are great Will."

He smiled sheepishly. "Thanks, Taryn."

Layla nodded in agreement, "And so what if you're a sidekick? It's not the end of the world. When life gives you lemons," she paused and plucked said lemon from the tree branch. I couldn't help but snicker once I saw that she had produced an apple instead.

"Make apple juice?" Will finished, chuckling a bit.

Layla looked at the apple and shook her head, "I can't make lemons, I don't know what it is."

"Yeah, but you have an awesome power," Will argued, "You could've easily made Hero with Taryn."

"If she hadn't rebelled against Boomer," I said sardonically.

Layla shrugged. "I'm not into labels. Besides, I think the whole thing is stupid. Dividing people into groups like that. I mean, what is this?"

"High school?" Will answered.

"More like hell," I quipped, laying back and looking up at the stars.


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: **__Hey guys, I'm so sorry for leaving you hanging like that but here's the long awaited chapter 4. I also want to let you guys know that I won't be able to update next week because for the first time ever; I'm going to Comic Con! I can't tell you how stoked I am for it and I'm so glad that I finally managed to get a badge. On that note, I also want to thank __**Flowerchild23 **__for reviewing! You rock! _

* * *

"Greetings, and welcome to Mad Science!"

The door to the classroom opened and a man in a white lab coat and rubber gloves entered. Holy shit! His head was enormous! If I were to look up 'bulb head' in the dictionary, his picture would be right next to the definition as an example.

"I am Mr. Medulla, and let me start off by saying that any comments on my head will result in a detention. Now, you will see that I have placed a seating chart here on the front table. So, if you think you'll be sitting next to any of your 'pals,' think again. The person you've been assigned to sit next to will be your partner for the rest of the year. Now, I want you to come up and look at the seating chart, find your partner, and get started on the first assignment: building a heat beam. Instructions on how to build it are stacked on the back table. With that said, get to work," he explained before turning around and heading back to his desk.

I got up from where I was sitting and made my way over to the front table, mentally praying that I wouldn't be stuck with a fuckwit for the rest of the year. Pushing past a few students, I slid my finger across the paper to find my name before narrowing my eyes to see who my partner was.

_Jake Livingston_

"Who the hell is Jake Livingston?" I muttered, raising my head to look across the room.

"Hey sexy-I mean, _partner,"_ an all too familiar voice whispered in my ear, which caused me to tense up.

"No fucking way," I hissed, whipping around to face him. Damn, I almost forgot how tall he was.

"What's wrong, Armstrong? Not happy I'm your partner? That really hurts, "he replied mockingly, putting a hand up to his chest and began acting like my comment actually hurt his feelings.

Shoving him out of my way, I grabbed the instructions off the back table before storming over to our assigned table. I had the urge to complain to Medulla, but that would only land me in detention. Of all people, why did he have to pair me with Lash?

"Say one more word and I'll shove a chainsaw up your ass," I seethed, the second Lash sat down next to me.

He smirked, "That actually sounds kinda kinky."

"I mean it, Lash," I growled, which only caused him to chuckle. I bit my lip in frustration before turning my attention towards the instructions for our assignment. "To be honest, I'm surprised you actually showed up today," I mumbled.

He quirked a brow, folding his arms over his lean chest, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You just seem like the type of person to skip class to give some poor kid a swirly, or jack off to a Penthouse magazine," I replied bluntly as I picked up one of the metal pieces on the table and attempted to build the beam.

"Nah, thought I'd stick around today. Besides, why would I jack off to that when I've got something so much better sitting right next to me?" he answered, wagging his brows suggestively.

I turned my head and glared daggers at him, "Lash, the only way I'd sleep with you is if I was drunk off my ass."

"Sweetheart, I am not that ugly. You don't have to completely wasted to hit this," he replied haughtily, his lips curling into that arrogant smirk.

"Even if I was completely sober, I'd probably be forced to fake it the entire time," I said scornfully, hoping I shattered at least half of that gigantic ego of his.

"Oh, believe me, you wouldn't be faking it. I've been told I'm a good lay."

"Says who, your blowup doll?"

Before Lash could respond, Medulla walked over and gave us a firm look. "Mr. Livingston, Miss Armstrong, is there a problem here?"

"No sir," we both mumbled in unison.

"Alright, I'll let you both off with a warning this time, but if I have to come over here again you will both receive detention. Now, get back to work."

I sighed in relief as he walked away. There was no way I'd last two hours in detention with Lash, I'd either kill him with my bare hands, or hang myself out of agitation.

"For the sake of my grade and my sanity, will you please stop being a fucker and control your hormones?" I snarled through clenched teeth.

"And if I don't?" he challenged, sliding his hand up my waist and resting it right underneath my boobs.

Without hesitation, I grabbed lifted my hand and placed it on his thigh, releasing the cosmic flames from my palm. He quickly let go and glared at me after seeing that he now had a hole the size of a doughnut in his pants.

"Told you not to fuck with me, Elastiboy," I jeered and continued doing my work. I froze when I felt his lips brush against my ear. "You can light my fire anytime, babe," he murmured huskily.

My body betrayed me as I felt my breath hitch. Calm down, Taryn. Calm down. DO NOT GIVE IN TO THE HORMONAL RUBBER BAND BESIDE YOU!

"What's the matter, Armstrong? Am I turning you on?" Lash taunted before trying picking up two of the beam pieces and trying to fit them together. Oh, so now he wants to help me with this impossible assignment!

"You are revolting," I countered, ignoring the need to tear my hair out as I glanced back at the instructions again.

"I'd like to hear you say that in a more intimate setting."

"Eat a dick, Lash."

"I'd rather eat something else, hint hint."

"How about 'hell no'?"

"Your mouth says 'no,' but all I hear is 'Oh yes, Lash! Don't stop!'"

Just then, the bell rang and I seized my bag and bolted out of the classroom. I was glad that for once Lash didn't follow me like a lost puppy. I guess he decided that he tormented me enough today.

However, that didn't stop him from tormenting me the next day, or the rest of the week for that matter. As if that wasn't enough, I found out that I had four out of my five classes with him.

* * *

The only thing that managed to cheer me up was the fact that Will was having a study session tonight. Although I didn't have the same classes as them, it seemed like the best option considering I didn't have anything else to do on a Friday night. I just hoped that it would be enough to get my mind off Lash.

"Okay, number one: 'a radioactive zombie is charging at your hero. Do you hand him: A) his silver-tipped crossbow, B) A wooden spike, C)-"Will was halfway through reading the options from the text books when Zach interrupted him.

"That's so weak, man! I'm already holding this crossbow, why can't I just shoot him myself?!"

"Because we're here support," Ethan pointed out, "And if your hero asks for a crossbow, you hand it to him."

"Or her," Layla added.

"If it makes you feel any better, I'm a hero and I think those rules are a colossal load of bullshit," I retorted

"Uhh, wouldn't that make you an anti-hero?" Ethan asked.

I shrugged, "If that means that I don't agree with the fact that sidekicks are given less credit than they deserve, then yeah, maybe I am."

"Nice to know there's at least one hero at Sky High who's not on their high horse twenty-four seven," Magenta remarked.

"Thanks Magenta," I smiled, high-fiving her.

"So if you kids are all in here, who's out there saving the world?" Another voice inquired.

All of us looked up to see Uncle Steve, or currently, the Commander, walking into the living room.

"Dad! Why are you home so early?" Will asked quickly.

"After I stopped the Superdome from collapsing, I was watching the game and I got to thinking; it's been awhile Will and I tossed the old pigskin around. So, I thought I'd hustle back home, but I see you, Taryn, and Layla have already made some new friends," the Commander said, gesturing to Zach, Magenta, and Ethan.

"It's an honor to meet you sir," Ethan said, getting up to shake his hand.

"What's your name and power?"

"I'm Ethan and I melt."

The Commander quirked a brow but was able to hide his confusion as he met the rest of my friends.

"Zach, I glow."

"I see."

He moved forward to shake hands with Magenta, who eagerly got up to do so. "Magenta, I shape-shift."

The look on the Commander's face went from confusion to excitement. "Shape-shift!"

"Into a guinea pig," she clarified.

"Great…. Great…" he trailed off before changing the subject. "Great! Really great! Well, I make a mean tuna fish salad sandwich, anyone want one?"

"Me!" I exclaimed, raising my hand high in the air like a child.

"Coming right up. Pleasure meeting you all, "he said before disappearing into the kitchen. Will bit his lip and took a deep breath before rising to his feet and following him.

"I'm gonna get a soda," I announced, getting up and heading into the kitchen. Alright, I'll admit I have a tendency to be a bit nosy sometimes but I really wanted to see if Will was finally going to tell Uncle Steve the truth.

"Does that one kid really, you know glow?" I heard Uncle Steve ask Will as I walked towards the fridge.

Will shrugged, "Sometimes."

"They have really lowered the bar some for superheroes at that school since I went there."

"Actually, he's a sidekick," Will corrected.

"Oh. Well that makes sense," Uncle Steve nodded.

"Actually, they're all sidekicks," Will added. I was hoping that the Commander would understand what Will was hinting at, but he didn't.

"Good for you, son. Kid of your stature hangin' out with a bunch of sidekicks. As a freshman? I didn't have the guts. And I can only imagine what your grandfather would have said if I'd have brought some of them home."

"You know, there's nothing wrong with being a sidekick, dad," Will defended.

"Oh, of course not. I used to have one Will, saved my life once too…. Oh what's his name…" It was pretty sad that my uncle couldn't remember the name of his sidekick, but I decided not to say anything about it.

"So then, you'd be fine if I was a sidekick."

"Oh yeah, sure," he mumbled before looking at me," Could you hand me that mayonnaise behind you, Taryn?"

Turning around, I grabbed the container and handed it to him. Will cleared his throat, "That's good then, because I am."

"Am what?"

"A sidekick."

"Who is?"

"Me, dad. Dad, I'm a sidekick, ok? I washed out of Power Placement," Will admitted.

"WASHED OUT!" Uncle Steve shouted before whispering "Boomer." I gulped as he slammed his fist down onto the counter in anger, causing everything on it to shake. Then he started ranting about Boomer before opening one of the kitchen drawers and picking up one of the many phones in it.

"No, dad! What are you doing?" Will asked.

"I'm calling the school! The tuition we pay them!" he said angrily, unintentionally crushing the phone in his hand.

Dad, don't! It's not Coach Boomer! It's me, ok? I don't have any powers!" Yup, the cat's finally out of the bag. Of course, Uncle Steve was shocked.

"But you never said…. I mean, you made it seem like-" he started.

"Like I had super-strength like you? But I don't."

"But you will, Will! You're just, you're a late bloomer! That's what it is!" Uncle Steve insisted, putting his hands on Will's shoulders.

"Maybe. Maybe not. But I don't care. Because, really, the fact of the matter is I'm proud to be a sidekick. Actually, I'm proud to be hero support." Will walked out of the kitchen and I couldn't have been more proud of him. Opening the fridge, I grabbed a coke bottle out.

"Did you know this whole time?" Uncle Steve inquired, turning his attention to me. Oh lovely, another lecture.

"Yeah, I did," I mumbled before walking out of the kitchen as quickly as possible and upstairs to my room.

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